Automatic operating device for clutches



March 15, 1932. J. T. DICKSON I AUTOMATIC OPERATING DEVICE FOR CLUTCHES Filed June 19, 1928 i as 5' m such operative position a given degree ,of thrust so *thatwhen excessive torgu'e is' a nted Mar. 15,. 193 2- Y sums njnicxson, or nos-menus,

aurom'ric orm'rme Dav-mam enmenns a pne non ma nine n. 1928. Serial No. aaatai.

My invention relates to clutches of the type set. forth' in my Patent No. 1,618,644 and par? ..ticularly to clutch operating mechanisms whereb the clutch engages" automatically 5 only w en the prime mover has attained the proper speed or power output-and whereby l the maximum torque is predetermined.

a a In the clutch described in the said' pat ent the entire operating mechanism is loose .on the 10 shaft so as to be delayed in accelerating where o as inth'e present invention only the centrifugally elfected'weightsare loosely carried. f The invention has among'its principal ob jects the provisionv of'certain advantagesin v15 function and construction as will appear here inafter,.particularly sensitiveness and freedom from any tendency ofwedging parts'to become. jammed, 'and,] the elimination of thrust bearings, .clutch collars and other" troublesome and expensive parts common to ordinary clutches.

In .the resent invention the drive shaft f member 7 the driving member bemg procarries a rive member movable axially o ,the'shaftinto clutching contact witha driven member, as 'in practically all commoncliitfches. v The drivin' member is however operated a'utomatica y by centrifugally effected means comprising weights or the like loosely associated with the driving member so as to" be de;

layed in reachingtoperative speed. These weights act at a suitable angle, preferably. an acute angle, against the .driving member to I move it into engagement with the driven" member when .the wei' hts have attained a given speed, and to 1101 the driving member reached, the clutch-is free to slip. In order thatthe device will relea'se whens eed decreases the weights "are arranged to a com': pzrativ'ely frictionless so that they donot jcome jammed even when acute angles'are employed. The frictionless weights are alsoemplbyed as the sole-thrust receiving means betweenthe parts which are movable; axial-1y v of the shaft and those {parts which are-fixed to the shaft,thereby eliminating thrust beat-' I I ings and the like; the weightsthereby serving a dual function-with simplicity resultant efiiciency' and Figure 1 is a view 'artly invertical section and partly in elevatlon of the said -embodi-.

broken away 'end elevation.

independent thereof except when" the driving member 1s m engagement therewith. Such arrangement of driving and'driven members clutches. Another driving member-6a 15 also and provides a thrust member. When, the- I have. illustrated by/ the accompanying drawings, one practical embodiment-of m invention. altho I am by no means limite thereto, j a

In the saididrawings:

mentI I A Figure 2 is an end view there0f,'the upper part of the; view showing the driving and driven members both broken,- away to reveal the centrifugally eflected means; the lower half of the view s'howingthe driven members 'to reveal the driving member in The numeral 5 is to be driven by aprimem/over such as an' electric motor (not shown); On the shaft is keyedafiriving member Gadaptd .to moveaxially of the shaft'along the key while bein caused to positively" rotate with the shaft. Adjacentto the driving member a driven a videdexternally with a clutch facing 8 which frictionally engages the corresponding sur- 7 her. The driven member is integral with a pulley'10' which has a bushing running free on the shaft as at llwhereby-the driven mem-. ber and the pulley are loose onthe shaft and and pulley is common 'to many type of provided, this being vpreferably, but not essentially fixed to the key so that while it revolves with the shaft and the driving meni-L ber 6 it isnot movable axially 'ofthe shaft movable driving niembei. 6 is thrust away 1 from the driving member fia the clutch isfin engagement as in all disc and drum types of clutches. I

1 To automatically force-themembers 6"and-- 6w apartI provide the c'entrifugally effected J means' consisting' of the weights -12, the balls 13andthe spider '14, same being loosely con-- between the members}; and I 'dicates a drive shaft which.

6a respectively. Accordingly the driving members, which are simple discs, are incl ned or converged outwardly to provide inside Opposed thrust surfaces of acute angular convergence. Thus when the weights are 'moved radially out by centrifugal force the gence of the driving members and to jointly an integral sleeve 17 whereby they provide a housing for the parts previously described. Members '7 and 7a areconnected by bolts 16. The driving members each have are centered on the drive shaft. 1 .i

The spider is merely an annular disc loosely encompassing the shaft and the sleeves'l'i'. The spider is provided with radial. notches 18 and the weights are of spool shape, each fitted loosely in a notch so as to extend transpower is discontinued, the balls and weights .will allow the parts to assume normal dis engaged, or partially engaged position ac= cor'dingly, and will not again put the clutch i in fully operative position until an interval reached by the prime mover. I Summarizing the advantages of function.

after. full speed and carrying ability is and construction it will be seen that the device as a .complete clutch is simple, compact and enclosed and has no 'thrust bearings, thrust collars, clutch rollers, washers, nuts or the like for connection-with the drive shaft;

the only connection being the single key. The parts are all self centering and free to aline themselves each" with corresponding other parts. The operating device is particularly sensitive both in'r'etardatively taking up the load and in quickly releasing when the loadis excessive. The weights with "the contained balls are simple and efiicient and not only serve as centrifugally efiected operating means but also serve as highly eflicient friction carrying means.

While I have shown and described a specific 1 construction for thejclutch and driving and' versely while being freely movable radially driven members, and have shown and deof' the space between the driving members. Each transverseweight is provided with a transverse open end bore 20 in which two 'of 7 the balls are disposed; each ball ridin on V the angle of convergence of the driving memthe corresponding inner surfaces 150 the .driving members,.the two balls mum on each other. Since the balls have only ro inlg contact with drivin members and with feac other friction is re need to a minimum and hers may be slight while the weights are equally as sensitive under centrifugal force astheyfare to opposing forces tending toreturn them to normal position when thecentrifugal force is As to the operation; when the drive shaft starts to revolve the weights have only slight contact with the driving members and therefore they are slow tobecome accelerated, thus providing the desired retarded effect. Finally, of course, the wei hts attain suflicient speed that their centrif ugal force will move them outwardly between the converging surfaces of the driving members to force the driving members each into en agement with the corresponding driven memier" the clutch. being thus automatically thrown in. Considering a predetermined angle for the inside surfaces of thedriving members and a predetermined speed, the thrust of the clutch facings and the frictional contact of same with the driven members isv predetermined and thus the clutch will slip. when excess'torque occurs, particularly since'thelweights and balls do not jam between the acuteangled surfaces. Should the speed of the prime mover decrease, due 'to'overload or when the scribed a specific construction for the operating means, it is understood of course that the operating-means in any one or more of a variety of embodiments may be applied to the clutch construction shown or to any other clutch construction to which it is adapted or adaptable; .without enlarging the scope of y invention and without reaching beyond the scope of the appended claims. Iclaim: r 1.- Ina clutch, a shaft, and clutch operating means comprising, a pair of spaced driving members rotatable with said shaftand relatively movable axially of said shaft, said members presenting opposed outwardly converging surfaces, an annulus resembling a relatively thin disc loosely encompassing said shaft and loosely contained between said driving members, said'annulus provided-with radial slots opening outwardly, each slot having a spool-weights each journaled in a correspondpair of radiating guide edges and reducing and thrust N I ,ing. slot in said disc to be revolubly held there-' by and free to move radially in said slot by centrifugal force whereby said drivin members are sgreadaxially of said she t, each "spool-weig t-having apair of enlarged ends engagl central" re, said ends serving to retain the spool on said annulus, and antifriction ele-;

ments contained against said driving members.

c 2. In a c1utch,-a shaft, a clutch '(iperating means comprising, a pair of elements to be ngosaid guide edges and alongitudinal said bore and bearing actuated, an annulus resembling a disc loosely. encompassing said shaft between said elements to be actuated and provided with circumferentially" evenly spaced radial slots opening outwardly, and weights one for each slot and journaled for free radial and revoluble movement, each weight resembling a. spool having enlarged ends engaging a pair of said guide edges to limit longitudmal movement and having a central longitudinal bore, and antifrietion elements contained in said bore and impressed at opposite ends of said spool upon said pair of elements to be actuated.

JAMES T. DICKSON. 

